Container for sterilizers



W. .l. WEGLENER.

CONTAINER FOR STERILIZERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I4, 1918.

lmym, mem@ NOV. 2, I92o.

3 SHEETS--SHEET l.

.W. J. WEGLENER.

CONTAINER FOR STERILIZEHS.

APPUcATaoN FILED SEPT. 14. 1918.

1,357,754. Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

u 55'; C) as? O @www0/i f WJ M35/[mer ma Summa W. L WEGLENER.

CONTAINER FOR STERILIZERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPI. I4. I9Ia.

. 1,357,754. Patented Nov. 2, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- gllill'l' STATES PATENT OFFICE. i

'lTALDEl/.AR J. VEG'LENEE, 0F HIGE'WQOD, ENGLEWOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNR T0 TEE KNY-SCHEERER CORPORATIGN, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK.

CONTAINER FOR' STERILIZERS.

Lesina/ra.

Specification of Letters atent.

Patented N ov. 2, 1920.

Application led September 14, 1918. Serial No. 254,094.

'0 @ZZ Lo/wm it may concern.'

it known that I, VALDEMAR J. WncLn- Nen, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ci l-lighwood, lEnglewood, county of Bergen, and atate of New Jersey, have invented certain new and userul Improvements in Containers for Sterilizers, set lorth in the following speciiication.

rThis invention relates to apparatus for accomplishing` the sterilization oli bandages, sponges, clothing and other articles.

Heretoi'ore sterilizers cylindrical in form, mounted so that their axes are horizontal, have been employed for the purpose of sterilizing cloths and other articles incident to operations. lt hasbeen customary to pack the articles to be sterilized in metallic, cylindrical containers, several containers t0 a sterilizer. rAbout the periphery of the container, localized principallyT in an equatorial band, are openable and closable perforations.

The object of the present invention is to increase the thoroughness of sterilization. ln carrying out this object it is a further object off this invention to provide a sterilizable package in which sterilization may be accomplished not only from the outside toward the inside but from the outside toward the inside and trom the inside toward the outside.

ln carrying out the functions of this in vention the usual mechanism employed is a sterilizer which comprises a cylindrical shell, the axis of which is horizontal and into the top of which live steam is introduced under pressure. This invention has to do particularly with a modiication ot the container. It is an object to design such a container that when filled, the steam introduced shall have more ready effectiveness in displacing the air imprisoned in the articles to be sterilized and, Yfurthermore, so that the steam shall be able to penetrate throughout the entire package more quickly.

-With such a sterilizer, which has cylindrical form and in which steam is to be admitted at the upper portion or in fact any portion, because live steam rises to the upper portion, it is preferable that the packages to be sterilized be limited to such forms, shapes or configurations that are most easily handled. It has been found that such a package as an individual entity is preferably a cylindrical package.

Heretofore cylindrical containers have been employed as individual containers for articles necessary to be sterilized. Such containers have, for the purpose of insulating sterilization, been provided with controllable, equatorially arranged openings. Such openings, however, have been operable solely to insure the initial entrance ot' live steam :tor the purposes of sterilization, but the complete entrance of live steam toefiect sterilization throughout the entire cross section of a package to be sterilized has been not only slow but, in most cases. haphazard if not always incomplete.

More particularly, an object oi' the present invention is tol modify the usual form of container conning an individual package of articles to be sterilized so that a distribution of the sterilizing agent may take place not only from the exterior but also from the interior ot the package. To this end means for forming a sterilizable package is contemplated of such a character that exterior portions o'll a cylindrical arrangement are exposed to a sterilizing agent and, in addition thereto, so that interior portions, prei# erably axially arranged, are also exposed to the said sterilizing action. lt may be that the arrangement of the exterior land interior portions are such that the sterilizing agents may have action, first upon the exterior to expel the air contained in the articles to be sterilized and, at the same or approximately the same time, to apply the sterilizing agent to the interior of the said articles arranged in cylindrical form so that complete sterilization is effected.

Furthermore, this invention relates to the specilic details ci constructions of a sterilizable package which is described below in its lpreferred embodiment and which, in similar manner, is illustrated' in the drawings, showing the same merely for the purpose of. illustration, which accompany this application as a part hereot', and in the several figures of which like characters designate corresponding parts.

In the drawings- Figure l is a cross section oi' a sterilizable unit in combination with a sterilizer for cooperation therewith;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the sterilisaable unit shown in Fig. l;

F'g. 3 is a section through line lll-lll of Fig. l of a modification of a sterilizableA unit as shown in Fig. 4;

vcondensed steam.

Fig. 4 is a section through the modifiedl sterilizable unit shown in cross section in F ig. 3; Y

Fig. 5 is a section corresponding to vFig. l of a basket formation serviceable to form a sterilizable unit Within the scope of the in vention; and

Fig. 6 is a section through line Vil- Vl of Fig. 5 ofthe structure shown in l? ig. 5 but including, in addition. the necessary container of portable cylindrical form foruse With the Vbasket of Figs. 5 and 6.

In connection with the present invention it is to be understood thata sterilizer of usualform is contempiated,-that is, such a sterilizer which commonly has cylindrical form with its axis arranged horizontally and with a supply of live steam into its top portion and with control ports at ornear the bottom so that the initial charge of air may be permitted to exit, as Well as water from Such a sterilizer is indicated generically in the accompanying drawings by the character A.

as has been previously pointed outgthe present invention has to do particularly With the units containing articles to be sterilized which, as units, are introduced into the sterilizer A.. VThese units, in so far Vas their designis concerned, are controlled not only by the necessity of insertion Within the sterilizer A upon runways l, but in addition by the necessity of ready manual manipulation both before they are inserted Within the sterilizer and after they have been reconvenient Y 3 in tivo or more series about its cylindrical contour. An adjustable slip sleeve l encircles the cylindrical part of this Vshell and is mechanically guided by spun beads This sleeve 4lis perforated with perforations G, coincident With the perforations 3, When coincidence is desired, but the sleeve 4 is provided with a clamping bail 8, the construction of which, in Fig. 2, is shown unclamped so that the entire sleeve 4 may be rotated. aboutj'the cylindrical formation 2 so that coincidenceV between the perforations 3 and 6 no longer takes place to close the interior. ln either ofthe positions of adjustment, coincidence or lack of coincidence between the perforations 3 and 6, the sleeve l, may be clamped by a swinging over of the clamping bail 8 so-that 'the sleeved is fixed in its clamped position. The unit conn tainer so far described, With its .slip sleeve l, has a bottom closure 9 and a cover 10 hinged to the body portion by the hinge 1lA and securable by the hasps 12. This con- VWithin the articles to be sterilized. Thus,

according to the old process, insulation against sterilization has been dependent upon the full diameter of the cylindrical package to be sterilized, sterilization being dependent upon theA penetration of live steam through the entire package from the top to the bottom, or at best from the cylindrical exterior tothe center. According to the present invention, no niodiication of the exterior container for sterilizable packages is contemplated, that is, for the exterior container B. lt is,rhowever, contemplated that means be provided to insure a more ready penetrationV of the sterilizing steam to theV various parts of the package to be sterilized,

To this end, in the preferred embodiment 'of the invention a c Tlindrical aan C is rovided, having a bead le' iittingsnugly against the interior of the cylindrical portion@ of the shell E, so that its cylindrical wall 15 is spacedA a material distance apart therefrom to provide a cylindrical passage space 16. The bottom 17' of this pan C is spaced apart from the. bottom Wall of the container B by suitable spacing means such as the detents or feet 13, thus providing a circulation space 19." Formed integrally With the bottom 1T is an axial tube 2O having lateral perforations 21, it being understood that the said tube 2O may not of necessity be a separate structure. suitably secured to the bottom l. TWhen the pan C together with its axial tube 2O is nested Within the container B the eX-V terior andv central circulation passages are formed as contemplated Within the invention. rit this point it is to be understood Vthat the slipping function of the sleeve el, so

to prevent the accidental ingress of contaminating influences.V

In operation, the structure illustrated in Figs. l and 2 is such that the sterilizing steam is forced through the coincident apertures 6 and 3 from the space 25 initially supplied with steam within the sterilizer A. Part olE this sterilizing steam passes downward through the articles l?) to be sterilized. Another part passes in the direction ot the arrows through the space 16 into the space 1.9 and thence into the interior of the tube 2() through the peri'oi'ations 21 for a continued passage down through the articles 13 below the tube 2O where a final exit is accomplished through the lower pertorations 26, 6 and 3, below which a suitable exit for the initial charge ot air has been provided by the sterilizer A. After the charge within the container B has been completely sterilized, containers B may be removed from the sterilizer A for the desired surgical use.

As a modification of the apparatus, instead ot the pan C and its tubular connection 20, which is to be fabricated as a separate entity from the container B, it is contemplated that the desired passages for the distribution of the sterilizing medium may be formed as integral parts of the container B as shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4c. In these figures a plurality of ducts 28, extending radially across the bottom 29 of the container B with elemental extensions 3() embracing pertorations through the container B are provided. Formed preferably7 from channel-strips soldered tothe container B and centrally terminato to discharge into an axial tube or .'onduit 3l having perforations 32, the duct 3i corresponding to the similar duct or tube 20 having similar perforations 2l. In other respects, the container B is identical with that described and illustrated in connection with Figs. l and 2.

It may be desired to carry out the functions of this invention in a second modified manner,for example, that made possible by the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6. In this embodiment it is to be understood that the container B of Figs. l and 2 is to be employed exactly as has been described but that a nesting basket D be employed, formed suitably from wire uprights 34 and wire basket work 35, all of a shape and configuration to nest within the container B and having feet 36 or a wire rim 36 capable of elevating the basket D above the bottom of the container B. It is also contemplated that a set of uprights 37 be formed axially of the basket D, which should be surrounded with basket work 38 so that functionally a perforated tube 89 is formed. When the basket structure D is inserted within the container B after it has been packed with articles for sterilization These ducts areV suitable passages are necessarily formed from the openings 6 and 3 down along the bottom 40 of the container B into the tubu lar space between the articles formed by the tubular basket work 39 so that the functioning effect of the pan and tubular structure of Figs. l and 2 is reproduced.

Although I have illustrated and described suitable embodiments of my invention, I am not limiting myself to any one oi' the embodiments illustrated and described, but contemplate that the full scope of my invention shall be demarked by the scope of my accompanying claims.

l/hat I claim and what I desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is l. A container for sterilizing a package comprising a cylindrical shell having circumferentially disposed perforations; and means for confining the charge to be sterilized so that passages be maintained both between said shell and the exterior' of said charge and axially into the interior of said charge, for the distribution of a sterilizing medium.

2. A container for sterilizing a package comprising a cylindrical shell having circumterentially disposed perforations; a slip-sleeve overlying said cylindrical shell and having perforations registerable with said circumferentially disposed perforations for the purpose of opening, and closing the same by the circumferential slipping of said sleeve; and means for contining the charge to be sterilized so that passages be maintained both between said shell and the exterior of said charge and axially into the interior of said charge, for the distribution of a sterilizing medium applied exteriorly to said shell.

3. A sterilizing container comprising a cylindrical shell having perforations for the passage of a sterilizing medium; and interior means for confining a charge to be sterilized so that passages be maintained and provided between the exterior of said charge and said shell and from the exterior of said charge i'or a considerable axial extent within the interior of said charge.

4:. A sterilizing container comprising a metallic container in cylindrical form having lateral openings; means for confining an interior charge of articles to be sterilized so that a peripheral space between said container and said charge is maintained; and means providing an axial opening into the interior of said charge is gaseous communication with said peripheral space.

5. A container for purposes of sterilization comprising a cylindrical metallic shell having closures for both ends in combination with an auxiliary pan in the form of a cylindrical dish having spacing means to separate the same from said container; and an axial, tubular, perforated formation on Said pim, whereby the distribution of steriiizing gus may takevpla'ce both exterioliy and interiorly of the said charge to be steri-` lized;

6. A sterlizing container comprising a sheet meta] shell having cloable perforations and an opeIia-ble closing cover, in oombnation with interior conning means for direct Contact with a, charge of articles to be sterilizedrfor. maintaining 2m open passage- 10 Way for the sterilizing medium `from the perforations of said' shell about said charge and freely into the interior of said charge.

In testimony whereof have signed' my name to this speoiiczttion this 13th day of 15 August, 1918. f

WLDEMAR J. WEGLENER. 

